Tires for 1932 Cadillac

[Guest fwjack]

I need new tires for my 1932 Cadillac, Model 355B Cvt. Coupe. The specs call for 700 x 17. I drive the car 1000 miles/year. My present inclination is to go with 700 x 17's or 750 x 17's Bedford Famous Coach. I would appreciate any comment or suggestions re size and/or brand of tire. I am looking for a quiet comfortable ride.

[Ed Miller]

I drive my 1932 Cadillac V8 All Weather Phaeton about four thousand miles a year. Although 7.00 x 17 is original equipment, not all current 7.00 x 17 tires have an adequate load rating for my Cadillac (dry weight is 5,170 add gas, oil, lubricants and five passengers the weight can go up to 6,200 lbs!) I am currently using Denman 7.50 x 17 tires. The only problem is they give a louder and firmer ride than comparable Lester Tires. I have Lester 7.50 x 17 tires on my 1933 Packard Twelve and there is a noticable differance. I have no experiance with Bedford tires. I hope this helps you, good luck.

[Dave Mitchell]

I have had the Bedford Famous Coach tires on my 35 Packard 12 sedan for about 15 years and I like them. They are similar in tread design to a Goodyear diamondtread of the 30s. I have been told that the 750 - 17s look a little small by a couple of people, but I guess that you could go by the actual measurements. I think some of the repro tires are oversize - it is impossible to put the correct sidemount covers on some of them without letting out all the air, so it may be possible that people are used to the look of the oversize ones and think the Befords are small. I like the look of them myself. If the dimensions of the 700s seem small in comparison to the competitors, you might go with the 750 Bedfords. If you aren't going to show the car and don't require wide whites, Michelin makes a wonderful 750 - 17 radial in the XCA series which has steel belt sidewalls. I have them on my 34 Cad V16 and it does great things for the handling of that car. I can send you a photo of it if you email me at packard12s@hotmail.com The Michelins may also be a bit cheaper.

[Johan Boltendal]

Your car has the 4.00 wide rim, the 7.50 uses 4.19 wide rims.

The 7.50 will not sit as intended on the 4.00 rim.

Lester is used by me on my '30 V-8 for almost 15 years now and it is

silent and comfortable. I just bought 4 new 700-17 for my '32 Lester WW also.

Had a long thought about 7.50-17, less engine revs, up to almost 10% with the Lester, better looking, but decided against them. The original specifications

also played a role in the decision I must add. Love to know what you decide

[tbirdman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Your car has the 4.00 wide rim, the 7.50 uses 4.19 wide rims.

The 7.50 will not sit as intended on the 4.00 rim.

Lester is used by me on my '30 V-8 for almost 15 years now and it is

silent and comfortable. I just bought 4 new 700-17 for my '32 Lester WW also.

Had a long thought about 7.50-17, less engine revs, up to almost 10% with the Lester, better looking, but decided against them. The original specifications

also played a role in the decision I must add. Love to know what you decide </div></div>

Im leaning towards the Bedfords. I've had some feedback from a local Packard guy that he thinks Lesters are terrible which is the opposite for your experience. I actually was considering Firestones until a guy restoring a 32 Twin Six said he was going with Bedfords.